Kostecki and Hazelwood win Bathurst 1000 after final-lap fuel drama
The #17 Ford took the lead on the last lap when Anton De Pasquale’s #18 Chevrolet ran out of fuel, capping a recovery from a costly brake-change delay.
Verified brief
The story in 60 seconds
Brodie Kostecki and Todd Hazelwood won the 2026 Bathurst 1000 after Anton De Pasquale and Lee Holdsworth’s leading car ran dry on the final lap. Motorsport Australia says a late safety car turned the finish into a three-lap sprint.
This brief and the full story below are based on the disclosed sources. SearchTrends Daily’s interpretation appears later under “Our take.”
Full reporting
The complete story
Brodie Kostecki and Todd Hazelwood won the 2026 Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama on Sunday 11 October, snatching the lead when the Chevrolet of Anton De Pasquale and Lee Holdsworth ran out of fuel on the final lap. Motorsport Australia’s race report identifies the #17 Shell V-Power Ford as the winner and says the #18 Team 18 Chevrolet slowed on Mountain Straight: https://motorsport.org.au/media/news/detail/2026/10/11/kostecki-and-hazelwood-steal-remarkable-bathurst-1000-win/ . The finish reversed what had looked like a decisive advantage for De Pasquale. His team had emerged from the last pit sequence with a lead of more than 15 seconds, according to Motorsport Australia, while Kostecki was still fighting back from an extended stop on lap 125 to change front brakes. Kostecki made his final stop on lap 150, set successive Gen3 lap records on laps 152 and 153, and passed Will Brown for third at Murray’s Corner. Chaz Mostert then crashed at Forrest’s Elbow, bringing out the first safety car after 156 uninterrupted laps. That compressed the field for a three-lap finish. De Pasquale was managing fuel, but the #18 ran dry on the last circuit and Kostecki drove by. Earlier, Aaron Seton led the opening stint from pole and Brown led after the first stops, as the race organiser’s start report recorded: https://www.supercars.com/news/supercars-news-2026-bathurst-1000-start-report-will-brown-early-leader-fuel-strategy-action-incidents-video .
In a post-race account published by Supercars, Team 18 principal Adrian Burgess acknowledged an error in the team’s fuel calculations. He said the team realised the shortfall when the late safety car appeared and chose to keep De Pasquale on track in the hope the car could reach the finish. De Pasquale ultimately stopped and was classified as a non-finisher. Source: https://www.supercars.com/news/supercars-news-2026-when-team-18-knew-bathurst-1000-fate-was-sealed-anton-de-pasquale-adrian-burgess .
Image: AI-generated editorial illustration by SearchTrends Daily; it does not depict the 2026 race or its actual cars.
Source perspectives
What other reporting adds
These are the reports, official records, and trend observations used to build the story. The note under each link explains exactly what it contributes.
Official starting grid, pole pair and race start time
Read original source ↗SupercarsWhen and how to watch 2026 Repco Bathurst 1000Official broadcast and session schedule for Australia and New Zealand
Read original source ↗Motorsport AustraliaKostecki and Hazelwood steal remarkable Bathurst 1000 winOfficial national motorsport report confirming winners, final-lap fuel failure, late safety car, brake stop and earlier race sequence.
Read original source ↗SupercarsStrategy propels Brown Ford into Bathurst leadRace organiser report on opening stints, Aaron Seton leading from pole and Will Brown moving ahead through pit strategy.
Read original source ↗SupercarsWhen Team 18 knew Bathurst fate was sealedPost-race reporting of Team 18 principal Adrian Burgess acknowledging an error in the fuel calculations and explaining the decision to stay out after the safety car.
Read original source ↗SearchTrends Daily opinion
Our take
Analysis
What the evidence and search signal suggest
The finish hinged on Kostecki’s recovery pace, the late safety car and Team 18’s fuel shortfall. Team principal Adrian Burgess has since acknowledged an error in the fuel calculations; the available accounts do not establish the precise size of the error. Kostecki still had to recover from his own brake-stop delay and get close enough to take advantage when the leader slowed.
Analysis and commentary are SearchTrends Daily’s interpretation. They are intentionally separated from the sourced account above.
Meaning
Why this matters
Bathurst’s biggest race ended with a change of leader on the final lap. The result is the second Bathurst 1000 victory together for Kostecki and Hazelwood, who also won in 2024, according to Motorsport Australia. It also turned Team 18’s fuel strategy from a likely breakthrough victory into a stark example of the risk teams accept when they stretch a stint to the limit.
Background
How we got here
The Bathurst 1000 is the 1,000km centrepiece of the Supercars season, run at Mount Panorama. This year’s opening phase featured Seton and Bates on pole and Brown and Scott Pye moving ahead through pit strategy. Kostecki and Hazelwood had also led earlier, before the troubled brake change on lap 125 let several rivals through. Motorsport Australia’s race account traces those shifts and the late safety car: https://motorsport.org.au/media/news/detail/2026/10/11/kostecki-and-hazelwood-steal-remarkable-bathurst-1000-win/ .
Outlook
What is likely to happen next
Team 18 says it will review the fuel calculation error. Supercars’ classification and any stewards’ decisions should be checked for later changes to the finishing order. The championship moves to the Gold Coast 500 on 23–25 October, according to Motorsport Australia.
A conditional editorial assessment based on the evidence available at the review date, not a guaranteed outcome.
Live record
Updates to this story
No material updates yet.
Commentary
What we think
Our view: this was a finish that rewarded speed and survival in equal measure. Kostecki’s recovery mattered, but the decisive turn was the leader running out of fuel. The result deserves a headline that credits the winners and explains the final-lap reversal without assigning blame that the evidence does not support.